Operation Soulmate Page 29

  “Shhhhh..” said Brogan, giggling, slapping his arm playfully, quickly dragging Geraldine into the room and quietly closing the door behind her. “You’ll get the nurses in...”

  “What’s going on?!!” asked Geraldine, laughing, gamely and, at the same time, calmly resisting an impulse to rush over and kiss Ben deeply and passionately.

  “A little bird tells me you didn’t celebrate your birthday...” said Ben, glancing conspiratorially at Brogan, as Danny half-filled four paper cups with the sparkling liquid. Geraldine stared at the floor, as she remembered what had probably been the worst birthday of her life.

  “...AT ALL, Gerry!! That’s disgraceful!!” he said, laughing mischievously. Geraldine shrugged. This was embarrassing, to say the least.

  “Yeah, well,” she began. She had no idea what she was about to say. Surely this wasn’t the time to disclose everything...so publicly!? To let him know that she’d been so cut up about him not being around that she hadn’t even been able to face the thought of celebrating anything. Or that she’d been too preoccupied with trying to figure out where he was, to worry about the dates passing by on the calendar, and had actually almost forgotten it was her birthday!! Or, perhaps, he’d like to hear that she’d recently preferred getting to bed early, most nights, to having a proper life, in case his higher-self felt like showing up in a dream, or his dead grandmother wanted to pop in for an after-hours visit. No! This was definitely not the time for any of that. Then again, he’d obviously been filled in by Brogan about some of the events of the past few weeks. What else might she have told him? Geraldine was trying to think of something to say that might make some kind of sense. But Ben hadn’t finished speaking.

  “So, I thought we could make this a double celebration.” He was saying. Geraldine racked her brain for a minute. What else had she forgotten in all this madness? Who else was having a birthday? Perhaps they were celebrating Ben’s recovery. She suddenly didn’t trust herself to speak but, instead, stared blankly at three mysteriously excited faces, for once in her life, completely lost for words. Ben slowly reached behind his pillow and produced a small, purple, velvet box with a collection of tiny hearts embossed into the fabric. “This used to belong to Lena,” he said, as he carefully opened it and removed a delicate, platinum ring, set with sparkling, twinned pink diamonds.

  Gerry gasped and blinked hard, as tears threatened to overwhelm her again. “And I know she wants you to have it...” Brogan clutched her chest with both hands and looked as if she was going to cry as well. “Geraldine,” He continued, “I may not be able to get down on one knee just yet, but I have, apparently, travelled through aeons, centuries, wars, winds, rain,” he continued, gesticulating wildly, “and across time. And, I’ve been laid up in this bed for what felt like an eternity, listening to a tale that would have confused Homer, himself! I have apparently even stared death ...in the face ...to bring you this ring. Will you please, PLEASE.” At this point, Geraldine could feel Danny smirking across the room. “PLEEEEAAASE, marry me!!!”

  Geraldine laughed and shook her head with ecstatic disbelief as she took in the scene around her. She looked over at their two amazing friends, who’d so obviously helped to make it all possible. Brogan was holding her breath. Danny was issuing a dire warning with his eyebrows.

  Ben was asking her to marry him! For real this time! And yet, it was all slightly surreal, like waking up in the middle of a gorgeous dream and being told you could stay in that dream forever! For some reason, she suddenly remembered his first, almost inadvertent, proposal and everything that had happened since, everything it had taken for a universe of possibility to conspire to finally bring them to this point. She marvelled at the perfection of the Divine plan and the beautiful rightness of the whole situation and, in that instant, she knew without a doubt, that for as long as they both lived, and probably for a long after that time, nothing would ever part them again. And that... was surely, true progress. She was almost expecting a vestment-clad, Brogan to step forward and say “Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder...”

  Ben was still smiling and shining, as he waited for her reply, and Geraldine could have sworn that just behind him, she caught a glimpse of Metatron, smirking mischievously and wiping a large eraser across a holographic blackboard. Geraldine shook her head, in sheer amazement and disbelief.

  “Gerry, you gonna marry the man, or what?” said Danny, raising his cup impatiently.

  Geraldine sighed contentedly, “Why the heck not,” she said, grinning ecstatically.

  “Well, yeah...” said Ben, smiling as her lips approached his, and they became consumed by a kiss, which stretched its gentle, healing radiance ....across eternity.

  Read, 'The Office Sorceress,' A hilarious spiritual romantic comedy about The Law of Attraction

  ..an excerpt from 'The Office Sorceress'

  Lorna tossed the law-of-attraction book to the back of her in-tray in dismay. What were these people on? Why couldn’t anyone just accept that some people were simply born lucky and the rest just got on with making the best of things, trying to get lucky, or hoping that their luck might somehow, magically change all by itself someday!? She knew that whoever wrote all these books would probably say she was trapped in a victim consciousness, or that she was a nay-sayer or something of that ilk, but she just didn’t have the energy to care today. She was having one of those doubty days when the only thing she knew for sure was that if the day’s stats weren’t on Tony Bryant’s desk by 4.30pm, there’d be no attracting anything but bad news. It all just seemed like such hard work. In fact, after a long night listening to Rosalind‘s conspiracy theories, suddenly everything felt like hard work...

  Rosalind was Lorna’s best friend. They’d known each other since they were at school and had somehow stayed friends ever since, despite the drastically different turns their lives had taken and their dramatically different perspectives on life. Rosalind’s glass was definitely, perpetually half-empty, whereas, Lorna’s despite all material indications to the contrary, was (usually) defiantly and resolutely half-full. Rosalind’s latest theory was that the whole law of attraction thing was ‘a government scam’, which had been insidiously filtered into the consciousness of the masses in order to encourage everyone to sit around all day, apathetically dreaming up aspirational places in the sun, while all the time the rug was being pulled unceremoniously from under their feet, and the wool very firmly over their eyes.

  Rosalind had spent what had seemed like decades studying sociology and political science, and it seemed to Lorna that the more she learned the less fun she became. Rosalind was definitely what could happen if a person thought about things too much....in the wrong way...perhaps while staring into the bottom of that half-empty glass. Lorna often wondered how they had ever managed to stay friends. There where times when Rosalind just seemed like a big, wet emergency fire blanket, swiftly putting out the gaily-dancing fires of everything that was dreamy, optimistic and fun about life, with a heavy dousing of social realism. What was wrong with wanting a nice home, nice things and nice people in your life; bright, sparkly, positive ones without PHDs in misery! Lorna sighed deeply. After months of reading everything she could get her hands on about cosmic ordering, she'd been quickly brought back down to earth with a well-placed sequence of yes-buts, in just one painful sitting with Rosalind. Rosalind was definitely what the books would call a nay-sayer.

  But, then again, where were all those things she’d been visualising? Eight months of picturing the perfect home, the perfect marriage partner, the perfect job, had done absolutely nothing to change her life, and it was all getting to be just a bit exasperating! Why did everyone else seem to be flying off on plum assignments all over the known world, getting married to gorgeous men, and building dream homes? Homes that felt like homes and not the abandoned shell of a flat she retreated to night after night. The girls had been at uni for half a term now, and she still missed them more than ever. Why did no one ever talk about how
that could feel?! Why hadn't she been warned! Why did no one tell her that when your children left home it would feel as if someone had taken a giant spoon and scooped out all the best parts of your life, leaving you with all the bits no one really wanted. Bills that didn't even seem worth paying anymore, a fridge you just couldn't even be bothered to fill, and a half empty building, full of empty rooms and kids' things. The cold cooked cabbage bits of life. Why had no one told her to prepare for this properly by having a life!

  And where was that amazing social life that had always seemed to be beckoning when she was stuck at home as a single parent, waiting for that moment of eventual, domestic release? Just as she had learnt how to truly marvel at the two amazing people she'd somehow managed to bring up quite nicely, they had suddenly disappeared without a trace?!! It just didn’t make any sense. Throughout the years when she'd been struggling to make a good job of it, and keep a roof over their heads, and somehow remain resolutely optimistic, her job had been her only connection with the outside world - apart from Rosalind’s friendship (which had somehow made going to work seem almost like fun) - but now that it was all she had left, she could see it for the hollow sham it really was.

  She'd often said she should have had more children. The best job ever! Although of course it was vastly underrated and underappreciated, even though everyone secretly knew it was probably the most important job of all. She often congratulated herself that it was the one job she could honestly say she had showed up for consistently, regardless of its ups and downs, and that she had done it well and to the best of her ability. She often suspected, though, that she’d had very little to do with the way the girls had turned out. Right from the beginning, they had already been their own incredible, creative, strong-willed little people, just waiting to happen. Her gift was, perhaps, the fact that she had mostly just allowed them to be themselves, and in the end, who they actually turned out to be was a much better version of things than anything she could possibly have dreamed up.

  Marcus Bright was looking extra gorgeous this morning. Lorna surreptitiously watched him moving around the room, no... gliding was what he was actually doing, gliding and oozing charisma, but not in an oily sort of way. Just grace, class, elegance, style and professional confidence, all rolled up into that perfect, compact, well-honed and gorgeously unassuming package. That man just had a way about him, a natural ease. Lorna had no idea how her crush on Marcus had so quickly escalated into near obsession, but she was certain of one thing...she had to either get him to notice her fairly soon, or get him out of her system! These work-related things just never seemed to turn out well.

  It had all started, probably like most work crushes, simply as a way to pass the time and ease the daily boredom. There hadn’t really been much more in it than that ..at first. But then, one night, she had somehow mentally taken him home with her, completely by accident, and he had been with her ever since. He had even begun to work himself quite nicely into her morning routine. So just as the alarm would go off at 6.30, so too would a voice in her head, telling her that there was something to look forward to in the acres of workaday that stretched out before her.... Marcus Bright. In time, he became a symbol of all that was truly worth waking up for in the morning, and all that would get her through yet another tedious day analysing the opinions and thoughts of the general population.

  Apparently 47% of workers had had an involvement in an office romance. 11% of women had dated bosses or another superior and 54% of Americans drink coffee every day. There it was; the desires of a generation, summed up in a serious of numbers. What did it all mean?! Apparently, 72% of women have experienced sexist bullying in the workplace. That was one for Rosalind, for sure. She’d love that; something nice and unhappy for her to get her misanthropic little teeth into.

  Lorna shook her head vigorously, and tried to pay more attention to what she was supposed to be doing when she noticed that Marcus was watching her suspiciously from across the room. He was so..commanding, so unruffled by everything that went on around him. She could see the tell-tale signs of stress though. She knew he was wondering whether he’d done the right thing, taking that promotion, whether it had all been worth it. Yes there were perks, and yes, the pay was better, but if she knew the company at all - which she probably did, better than anyone - they would certainly be getting their money’s worth. And in the end, was he really happy? Sometimes she actually felt sorry for him.

  Lorna and Marcus had both joined the company at around the same time, but of course, despite her vigilant attention to detail and her passion for deadlines, when the promotion had been offered, she had stepped down graciously, not wanting to accept the kind of responsibility that would undoubtedly mean majorly de-prioritising her role as a mother. Things were difficult enough already, and she quickly decided that there was just no room in her life for any more responsibility. It was far better to get another little extra job whenever she needed one, than to get all tied up in the management headaches and internecine wrangling that had people developing ulcers and missing their children's birthdays. A job like that was perfect for someone like Marcus though. He didn't have anyone to think about but himself.

  Despite the obvious weight of his new responsibilities, Marcus was turning out to be everything the company had hoped he would be. He was still charming and sweet, popular with management and workers, and undoubtedly a good man to liaise with potential clients, even the ones from overseas. He effortlessly spoke French and Swahili... and, of course, English (with a French accent) and he seemed to be at his best under pressure. He was sometimes slightly brusque, in that paperback-hero sort of way, but everyone forgave him for it, perhaps because he looked and sounded like Thierry Henri. Lorna sighed as she observed the way even his shirt-sleeves seemed to cling to his arms affectionately, revealing just a hint of what they so flatteringly covered. He was so good with everyone, so amiable, so inwardly secure, so gorgeously warm and so genuinely nice! Marcus smiled genially at one of the telephone interviewers and Lorna saw her blushing uncontrollably as she fumbled with her headset.

  Over at the next nest of tables, Lucy Ryan, one of their top interviewers curled her hair repeatedly around her fingers as she, too, flirted with him, shamelessly, playfully and with all the confidence of pre-heartbreak youth. Lorna simply allowed herself to fall into a trance as she watched him answer each enquiry, entreaty and overture with a cordial professionalism which left no one in any doubt whatsoever as to the nature of his true intentions (those of simply getting everyone to do the best job possible, in relative comfort) while somehow remaining an object of complete fixation and wonder. Lorna smiled wistfully. He was a joy to behold. Good people skills, that’s probably what the higher-ups said about him in meetings, good boundaries, a sensible work/life balance, excellent team-building skills, a healthy and refreshing attitude to the job and outstanding at achieving management objectives. She couldn’t help wondering whether there were private meetings among female members of the senior management team where it was simply and openly admitted that he was just, plain hot!!

  “Lorna, have you heard anything I’ve just said?” Lorna suddenly realised that Marcus had been standing right in front of her for who knew how long, and she had been simply staring at him longingly. She broke from her reverie and stared blankly at him, blinking vacantly.

  “Er...” She could feel her heart palpitating wildly.

  “We need to have the stats on Cremescape Coffee before the ones on Women at Work; the Cremescape client is here for a quick appraisal. They want to go over the questionnaire again...to see if they need to make any changes.”

  “Yum, I mean, um…um, um, um…. oh, yes, sure... Ugh! Changes... ugh! Changes.. great...” she quickly added, rolling her eyes and huffing sarcastically for good measure. "Gotta love those changes." Lorna could feel her whole head and torso throbbing with warmth, excitement, and anxiety. This was just too much proximity for comfort! It was deeply confusing. Marcus smiled and nodded stoically. He like
Lorna a lot, but it was a constant source of amazement to him how someone so permanently pensive and preoccupied ever managed to be so rabidly efficient.

  Lorna tried hard not to look at her hands. She was sure they were shaking slightly. How annoying. She couldn't help thinking that Marcus seemed slightly anxious as she shuffled around in her in-tray for a printout of the previous week’s sample surveys. More changes. That was all she needed, just when she’d gotten the hang of this particular campaign to a degree where she was able to relax back into her favourite work pastime of observing Mark’s movements around the office. Why did they always want to go changing things in this ridiculous way?!A copy of the law-of-attraction book suddenly saw its opportunity for escape and leapt out of her tray, along with the pristine pile of questions, numbers and verbatim responses.

  Marcus smiled again and tried hard not to stare at the book. There was just no time! He had to admit, though, that he found Lorna fascinating, despite his unfathomable work schedule and the complete absence of any thinking time whatsoever, and he was more than a bit curious about her voracious reading and her fascination with all things mystical and philosophical. He smiled sympathetically as she handed him the meticulously ordered sheets.

  “Great, thanks,” He said, grinning gamely. “Don’t forget to say your affirmations, there’s a trip to the Caribbean coming up soon.”

  “Oh, ha ha, very funny.”

  “No, I’m serious. There’s an office opening up out there. Someone is going to have to go and scout it out...make those all-important connections.”

  “No...way.” Marcus winked and smiled as he moved on to his next port of benign disruption. Lorna could hardly believe it. The Caribbean!! Surely he had to be joking, but it just wasn’t like him to joke about something like this. One of the more professional joys of working with Marcus over the years had been the fact that you could usually pretty much rely on what he said ...most of the time, except perhaps on the odd occasion when he would exaggerate a deadline in order to achieve a result on time. Over the years, however, he'd given up on this little game, as he’d soon come to realise that with Lorna, it just wasn’t necessary. A deadline was set in stone and, usually, if he told her the deadline was Tuesday when it was in fact Wednesday, the work would be done by Tuesday morning, and if he told her, more truthfully that it was Wednesday, the work would be done by Wednesday morning. So they had come to trust each other and to know that in a perilously uncertain environment, at least one other person’s word could be relied on implicitly. Yet despite this understanding and the obvious respect they had for each other, their relationship had remained frustratingly platonic and largely professional.